Mariano Linked With €20m Real Madrid Exit as Monaco & Roma Lodge Opening Bids
Both Monaco and Roma have submitted offers for Real Madrid striker Mariano Diaz, who appears to have little to no future under manager Zinedine Zidane.
Karim Benzema and new signing Luka Jovic look set to dominate the starting lineups for Los Blancos next season, prompting rumours that Mariano - re-signed from Lyon only last summer - could be sold to try help recover as much money as possible.
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Given game time looks incredibly unlikely for Mariano, AS claim that both Roma and Monaco have lodged bids for the 25-year-old, although neither has come close to interesting either Mariano or Real.
Mariano wants a €4m-a-year (£3.6m) contract, whilst Real are demanding around €20m (£18m) to part ways with the striker. The details of the offers are not clear, although they are believed to have fallen well short in both departments.
Zinedine Zidane has publicly confessed that Mariano does not feature in his plans, telling reporters: "I have no plans for him. He is with us, he trains, he has not played, we will see tomorrow."
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He has not played a single minute of Real's pre-season friendlies against Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid, although it is believed that Mariano still wants to stay and fight for his place at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Back in June, he reiterated his desire to stay, insisting that he wants to stay in Madrid for the rest of his career after proving he deserves a place in the team. However, that was before Jovic arrived at the club, and now Mariano is thought to be considering his options.
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He managed four goals in 22 appearances last season, but only started four games all year. Two of those starts did come under Zidane, although the Frenchman clearly wasn't impressed with what he saw.
